found this when looking through old excursion photos - can you spot the spider?
Spiders possess multiple types of silk glands, which produce silk materials with contrasting properties.
What happens if they combine different silks into a single line - Does this reinforce, even toughen, the silk thread?
We got some answers from cellar and cave spiders:
doi.org/10.1039/D5SM... 🔓
This study was led by @wolffspider.bsky.social and Martín Ramírez, with contributions by @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social Anna-Christin Joel, Vincent Jackel, Sebastian Büsse and @pmichalik.bsky.social
Netcasting spiders modulate silk thread stiffness via a tailorable multi-fibre meta-structure to construct a web that is hyperelastic and high load-bearing at the same time.
Read about our discovery in PNAS: doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
🔓 & with video content!
The special thread meta-structure of the hyperextensible web radii is a looped-fibre reinforced elastomer - seen in all its beauty in this image - which just won the Royal Society Photo Competition! royalsociety.org/journals/pub...
#spidersilk #spiderweb #fibre #biopolymer
Media Release by @unigreifswald.bsky.social
www.uni-greifswald.de/en/universit...
🕸️ The #silk of this gorgeous little cribellator is not your standard silk - read @evoimec.bsky.social new study here: doi.org/10.1073/pnas... 🕸️
Just back from a productive writing retreat of @evoimec.bsky.social and @multipleye-lab.bsky.social on the remote island of Hiddensee.
Look out for new papers coming up from our labs!
@maitryjani.bsky.social from my lab @evoimec.bsky.social talks about her scientific journey and newest paper in @jexpbiol.bsky.social ERC Spotlight:
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Video
What makes spider silk so extraordinarily strong and elastic at the same time? This was the focus of recent investigations carried out by researchers from the University of Greifswald, the University ...
🕸️ Massive web stretch from our cribellating friend (Asianopis subrufa) recorded in the field. If you’re intrigued by this fabulous #spider #silk read on doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2529200123 by @evoimec.bsky.social et al :) 🕸️
